1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a food product comprising a formed cereal component and a non-sticky reduced glycemic response sweetener coating on the formed cereal component. The present invention further relates a process for forming a non-sticky reduced glycemic response sweetener coating on the formed cereal component.
2. Related Art
If individuals are overweight or are diabetic, high post-meal blood glucose elevations and prolonged blood glucose levels may have a negative impact on health. In addition, a significant number of diabetics are known to be overweight. To avoid elevated blood glucose levels in such at-risk individuals, early dietary regimens limited the intake of dietary carbohydrate because glycemic control was generally better with this type of regimen. However, researchers found that even low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets were associated with dyslipidemias and cardiovascular disease. In 1950, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended increasing the proportion of calories provided by carbohydrate to lower cardiovascular risk. As the medical community gained a greater understanding of diabetes, dietary recommendations continued to evolve by suggesting increased consumption of carbohydrates.
Depending on the chemical composition and the rate of digestion and absorption, carbohydrates may differ in their ability to raise blood glucose levels (i.e., may cause differing glycemic responses). Simple sugars, such as glucose, may be rapidly absorbed by a human and produce an immediate spike in the blood glucose levels of a diabetic or other individual. Even conventional complex carbohydrates may produce such an immediate spike because such carbohydrates are rapidly converted to glucose by enzymatic hydrolysis during the process of digestion. Starches which are resistant to digestion, such as cornstarch, may also be converted to a rapidly digested form upon heating. Thus, a problem to be solved is to supply complex carbohydrates, as well as sweeteners which produce a reduced or blunted glycemic response in diabetics by being gradually converted to glucose and absorbed at a reduced rate.
Having at-risk individuals, such as diabetics and those who are overweight, adhere to a diet which reduces the glycemic response may also be a challenge. Many of the foods suggested for such diets may be unappealing or unappetizing to the individual involved. The formulation of such foods may also present other problems including greatly increased cost, processing challenges, etc. Therefore, there exists a need for food products which provide: (1) a reduced glycemic response; (2) are appealing and appetizing to the individuals who need or would like to consume such products; and (3) do not create other problems such as greatly increased cost, processing challenges, etc.